I'm still working on my fiction selections but here are my favorite books
published in 2018. I may leave these off my best fiction selections just so I can include more overall titles, but they would both certainly have a place there.
First off,
The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. The first of this four novella series was published last year but the last three were published this year. Science fiction, conspiracy, mystery, and a wonderfully sarcastic lead character. Highly recommended.
Next up,
The Calculating Stars and
The Fated Sky by Mary Robinette Kowal. We've all seen the movies where we need to stop the asteroid from hitting Earth; this story is what might have happened if we didn't have warning that one was coming. Set in the early 1950s and continuing through the early 1960s these follow the life of Elma York, a talented pilot and doctor in mathematics (and works as a "calculator" like in
Hidden Figures, although Elma predates that book). Excellent writing, wonderful characters, historically realistic (it's an alternate history, so accurate isn't the right word) including dealing with systemic racism and sexism which are major themes. There is a 2012 novellette that I would read after these two which makes a great conclusion and there are (at least) two more in this setting still to be published but I believe they are not following the same lead character but continuing the alternate history in a different way. I will be nominating the first for the NLBC as soon as an appropriate category comes up. Great reads.
Those were the two-standout new series from this year but I really enjoyed
Lies Sleeping by Ben Aaronovitch (Peter Grant 7) and
Hellbent by Gregg Hurwitz (Orphan X 3) as well.